Time-switch.



H. C. NUTTING.

TIME SWITCH.

APPLICATION FILED MAYIs, |914.

Patented Apr. 13, 1915.

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TIME SWITCH.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 18. 1914.

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Patented Apr. 13, 1915.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HARVEY C. NUTTING, OF OELWEIN, IOWA.

TIME-SWITCH.

Application filed May 18, 1914.

T0 all whom it may concern Be it known that I, HARVEY C. NUTTING, a citizen of the United States, residing at Oelwein, in the county of Fayette and State of Iowa, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Time-Switches, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to time switches such as are used in controlling lighting circuits for stores, signs and the like.

The object of the invention is to improve the general construction of devices of this character, and also to provide an improved clock work operating mechanism for time switches.

A further object is to provide a very convenient and desirable time switch, with a novel construction permitting the use of either one circuit, or the selective turning on or off of a plurality of circuits, all parts for altering the control being readily accessible.

Another object of the invention is to provide a device of this character with a novel construction arranged to permit selective turning on and off of one or both of a plurality of lighting circuits at predeternnned time intervals.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a novel clock dial arrangement and hand arrangement to be used in connection therewith.

With the above and other objects in view, the invention consists in general of certain novel details of construction and combination of parts hereinafter described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and specifically claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, like characters of reference indicate like parts in the several views, and:

Figure 1 is a front elevation of a clock and time switch constructed in accordance with this invention, the lower portion ofthe clock door being broken away. Fig. 2 is a view of a portion of the clock with the door open, certain parts of the supporting frame and operating mechanism being removed, the better to show the remainder while other parts are broken away for the same reason. Fig. 3 is a section on the line 3 3 of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is an enlarged detail section showing the manner of securing the time regulating hands on a certain twenty four hour wheel used in connection therewith. Fig. 5 is a section on the line 5-5 of Fig. 2. Fig. 6 is Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 13, 1915.

Serial No. 839,307.

a detail face view of a spring washer shown in section in Fig. 4f to an enlarged scale. F ig. 7 is a section on the line 7 7 of Fig. 2. Fig. 8 is a view of the switch base with certain of the parts removed. Fig. 9 is a view of the switch blade and the parts connected therewith removed from the switch base, the view being taken from the lower end.

Fig. 1() is a cross-section on the line 10-10 of Fig. 2. Fig. 11 is a disassembled view of a latch mechanism used in connection with the switch.

In carrying out the objects of this invention, there is provided an ordinary clock case 10 having the usual hinge door 11, the door being preferably glazed throughout practically its entire extent, as indicated at 19.. lVithin this case is mounted a striking train of the type commonly used in mantle clocks provided with bells or gongs foi' striking the hours. This train is constructed inthe ordinary manner and a detailed description is therefore not deemed necessary. The striking mechanism is left oil", and the train is employed for operating the switch to be presently described. The train for driving the hour sleeve and minute hand arbor is also of the ordinary and well known type and in itself forms no part of the invention.

Beneath the glass face 12 is mounted an annular dial 13 which is secured to the door frame by means of arms 14e. The minute hand arbor is indicated at 15 and on this arbor is mounted a minute hand 16 which revolves in the space in the center of the dial. On the hour sleeve 17 is fixed a gear wheel 18. This wheel preferably has its surface enameled and is of such size as to substantially lill the space in the center of the dial, and on the face of the wheel is delineated an hour hand 1821. The object of this arrangement is to provide a time piece with opportunity for observing the stoppage thereof, as well as the position of the switch and other controlling devices to be hereinafter described. The structure also brings the center gear wheel 18 close to the glass face 12.

The wheel 18 meshes with a gear wheel 19 which is of twice the diameter of the wheel 1S. The wheel 19 consequently makes one revolution to every two revolutions of the wheel 18. The wheel 19 is divided diametrically into different colored semi-circular portions to indicate respectively night and day and ati-'ord facility in the AsettingH of the trip or timer mechanisms by the opera-tor. Adjacent the periphery of the wheel 19 there is arranged a series of hour Ynumerals 20 and in between these hour numerals are minor divisions indicated by the dots 20a and preferably arranged to represent fifths of an hour. The wheel 19 is mounted on a spindle 21 suitably fixed and supported in the clock frame and on this spindle 21, in frontfof the wheel 19, is a collar orshoul dered portion 22 while the outer end of the spindle terminates in aV threaded reduced portion 23.

Y` Revolubly mounted on the shouldered` portion'22 is a tripping hand 24 in front of which is ai star-shaped spring 25.

In yfront of the spring 25is a loose collar 26 whereon is revolubly mounted another tripping hand 27.

In front o f the hand 27 there is provided anotherspring 25a against which engages the boss 28 of' annut 29, a third tripping hand 30'being rovolubleY on said boss. Now, by means of these springs and the collar and nut arrangement, itV is possible to move any one of the tripping hands without moving theother tripping hands. InV forming the star-shaped spring 2,5 it is to be notedthat theV points or serrations about the star are bent alternately firstin one direction and thenV in the other, as can clearly be seen by reference to Fig. 6. Y

Each ofthe tripping hands above noted is provided with an out-turned lug 31 which is arrangedto engage a trip head 32 on a trip lever 33. This trip lever raises a stop lever 34 having anend adapted to engage in the notches 35 of a stop wheel 36 similar to the striker controlling wheel of a striking clock. Howeventhe notches 35 in this stop wheel are arranged to be covered by suitable closures. The closures may be of different kinds,` and preferably are of diderent types in orderto distinguish the particular notch when the operator is setting the device. One of these closures is shown at 37 and consists of a notched disk pivoted to the wheel 36 so thatwhen the notch in the disk registers with the notch 35 which it controls, the said notch 35 will beopen. Ifthe disk is turned around however, the notch will be closed.

Another form of closure is indicated at 38 and in this form of closure a simple radial slide is provided for closing the notch.

A still further form of closure is indicated at 39, and in this last form of closure the notch is closed by a plate slidably mounted on, the face of the wheel. 1lt is to be noted that there are preferably four of these notches35 and but three of them `are controlled by the closures while the remaining notchistays open at all times.

Mounted on the spindle 40 of the wheel 36 is a gear 41 forming a part of the striking train which is driven by means of the usual spring 42 of said train.

lThe gear41 meshes with the driving gear 44 of a certain snap switch best seen in Figs. 7 to 11. 1n the construction of this snap switch there is provided a base 45 of porcelain or other insulating material and extending upward through this base 45 is a spindle 46. 0n this spindle 4G is a sleeve 47 carrying the gear Fixed upon the base 45 V are three contact members 48, which are arrangedV at one-fourth the circumference of the base apart. In other words, the contacts are at v900; These contact members 48 are provided withY the usual binding screws 49 to which the lead and circuit wires are connected. Mounted upon the spindle 46 is a platel 50 provided with downwardly extending guide lugs 51. J ust below the plate 50 therev is Aprovidedl on said spindle aneccentric 52 which is surroundedby an eccentric Vstrap 53 having a guide'portion 54 movable between Ythe lugs 51, the eccentric thereby being reciprocated upon turning of the spindle. The plate 50 furthermore has an upstanding lug 55 Vwhich is "engaged by one end of a spring-55 surrounding 'said-stem, the other end ofthe spring 56 being engageable by a notch 58 forming a cup-shaped member 59 on the lower end of the'sleeve 47. On the member 50 is secureda switch blade member 60 having three contact arms 61 arranged to embrace the contacts 48. Fixed to the base 45 is a four toothed ratchet 62 and on the arm is a pawl lug This structure is an ordinary snap switch, andno novelty is claimed with respect thereto. Any suitable form of snap switch may be employed in connection with the apparatus.

1n the operation of this part of the device, as the wheel 44 rotates, the eccentric 52 mores the eccentric strap until the pawl lug 63 disengages from one of the teeth of the ratchet (32. At the same time that this is happening, the spring 56 is being placed under tension so that just as soon as the pawl is disengaged from the ratchet, the plate 5() snaps around one-quarter turn, theupawl dropping backV to engage the next tooth, and thus moves the switch blade member onequarter turn.

In the lower part of the clock case there is provided the usual line wire connection 64 and there are also, provided connections G5 for the circuit wires`66. |These connections 65 are preferably in the form of switch poles so that pivoted switches 66a may be used to control the circuit wires 67. 1t is intended that one of these circuit wires be connected up to the window circuit of a store and the other to be connected to the night light circuit or in any other way that ymay be desired.

1n operating the device, the operator opens the door and moves the tripping hands on the wheel 19 around to the desired point at 130 eff) which it is wished to turn on and oit the lights. When these points are reached, the trip lever 33 operates to release the striking train, and this in turn o erates the switch. Now, the normal or o position of the switch is that shown in Fig. 9, while the on position is that shown in Fig. 2. Now, it, for example, it is desired to start the window lights of the store at 6 oclock and immediately start the second circuit, then the operator would close that notch 35 which was next to the right of the notch engaged by the lever 34. He would then set one of the tripping hands on the wheel 19 at 6 oclock. When 6 oclock arrives the wheel 36 would make half of one revolution and this would, in a similar manner, cause the switch to make one-half revolution and thus throw all of the arms of the switch blade into engagement with the respective contacts, causing the same to show the position indicated in F ig. 2. If the operator desires to turn off the window lights at 10 oclock, he would set a second tripping hand on the wheel 19 at 10 oclock. Then when 10 oclock was reached the wheel 36 would make onequarter of a revolution, the neXt notch 35 being left open so that one of the circuits would be cut out. Of course by setting the third tripping hand to the desired hour for cutting out the remaining circuit, that in like manner could be cut out.

It would be obvious that by adjusting or closing of the notches 35 and properly positioning the tripping hands on the wheel 19 a large variety of operations may be performed by this device.

One circuit may be operated by attaching wires to the knife switch connections and opening all the notches of the wheel 36, and removing one of the tripping hands. For opening and closing one circuit twice add one tripping hand, making four on the wheel 19. Various other modifications will readily suggest themselves to those skilled in the art.

I claim:

1. A switch operating train provided with a check wheel having check notches in its periphery, and means carried by-said wheel to close said notches selectively.

2. In a switch controlling device, a check wheel provided with a plurality of check slots, and means to open and close said slots selectively.

3. In a circuit controlling device, a switch arranged to control a plurality of circuits, and a timer mechanism arranged to operate the switch, said mechanism being provided with means whereby a selected number of said circuits may be closed and thereafter a selected number of circuits be opened.

4. A time switch operating mechanism including a. wheel having a projecting spindle provided with a reduced and threaded end, a tripping hand revolubly mounted on said spindle, a spring mounted on the reduced end and bearing against said tripping hand, a collar on said end bearing against the center of the spring, a second tripping hand revolubly mounted on said collar, a second spring on said end bearing against the collar and second tripping hand, a nut having a reduced end bearing against the second spring, and a third tripping hand bearing against the second spring and revoluble on the reduced end of the nut.

In testimony whereof I afliX my signature in presence of two witnesses.

HARVEY C. NUTTING.

lVitnesses:

ORION Evnnnr'r, LEO T. KERWIN.

C'opies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

